Postmaterial Girl

“Living in a material world…” Madonna

Right now, you’re probably applying the grade school rule of “post” meaning “after,” right? What could exist after materialism besides postmaterialism?

This postmaterial girl will gladly explain it to you: we purchase and consume in search of material abundance. When that no longer does the trick for us, we move onto a new sort of abundance—spiritual. And I don’t mean the religious type, either.

From early times until now, man’s search has been for MORE—more things, more money, more time, more energy, you name it. Now the search parameters have switched to a search for MEANING and PURPOSE. The drive to expand our economic and aesthetic security through purchase and consumption has (or will soon be) given way to a drive to expand our spiritual security through careful consideration, reflection, introspect, and happiness.

Huh? That’s what I said when I read that statement back to myself. I’ll try re-phrasing it.

No more are we going to go shopping just for the sake of blowing a buck on a short-lived thrill. We simply cannot afford it with inflation, ever-fluctuating gas prices, and climbing utilities. Retail therapy is out for good. This past Christmas retail numbers will paint the whole picture—even Wal-mart didn’t make the money it thought it would.

Now we are making careful choices with an eye to meaning and purpose. We seek longevity, quality construction, durability, and honest-to-God need and use before we part with a buck.

The days of acquiring to impress are gone (or will be soon), as are shopping to feel better. It never lasted, and it never mattered anyway.

What matters now is what makes you happy, what makes sense, what means something to you, and what has maximum use for you. The cost is irrelevant if all these things are answered with a single purchase. I guess you could call this “zen purchasing.”

Postmaterialism doesn’t just cover the retail consumption world—it covers every aspect of your life. Your job may come to mind right now. Whatever aspect you choose to apply this new terminology to, it will certainly help in achieving personal happiness and “flow.” Flow is a whole new state of mind, where you operate in a spiritually nurturing environment, doing things that matter to you, with meaning and purpose to you, to the point of excluding the rest of the world because the focus is so high. Call it “zen work.” In this state, time does fly when you're having fun!

Only a few nuns and monks have ever achieved this level of spirituality—to the point of ecstasy. Unfortunately, this serves as an example of religious spirituality, and not a secular one. Still, it serves as a wonderful example of what can be accomplished when one’s life is re-prioritized to serve spiritual needs first rather than a faceless, spirit-killing entity. In this instance, serving one’s self first also has the wonderful by-product of serving others in a truly selfless manner—once meaning and purpose have already been established, there’s nothing more to seek from others. Service to others (including the boss) and the world is then a joy and a pleasure, and not a burden.

The Dalai Lama is one such excellent example—red sneakers and all. If the thought of seeing him in a maroon robe with bright red Converse high-tops makes you smile, then you have the idea precisely. A man with that much spiritual power could have anything he wanted--riches, political power, stellar fame--but no. He has what means the most to him, what has purpose for him, and what makes him happy.